I would like to take this opportunity to state the facts of an interview that I was asked to do today in regard to the incident in Ferguson, Missouri. This was the question that was posed to me today: “Sheriff, could the same thing happen here that happened in Ferguson, Missouri?” I did about a 15 minute interview explaining my answer; however, when aired most of what I said was edited out. Apparently they were looking for a different answer than I gave. With that being said, this was my answer to that question. We did have a similar situation happen in our county last year. A suspect was fatally shot by a police officer. The suspect was unarmed. Our office was called to investigate the incident. There was no riot. There was no looting. Every person we interviewed was truthful and very cooperative during the entire investigation. I contacted the federal authorities to inform them of the situation. Upon my report to them, they chose not to look into the matter any further. The Governor did not have to activate the National Guard due to anyone acting in a violent manner. The case was presented to a Lee County Grand Jury, and there was no indictment against the officer. So yes, not only can an incident like what happened in Missouri happen here; it did happen. However the reaction of the people was different. I remember when Katrina hit New Orleans; the media blasted the headlines with complete chaos in that town. Looting, robbery, and all sorts of violence were rampant. The storm caused devastating damage, but the reaction by evil opportunists made it even worse. On the other hand, just a few months ago, a tornado ripped through our county causing major damage to property. What did we see from our folks? I saw people aiding each other, neighbors helping one other recover, church groups pooling resources together, looking for opportunities to minister to people they didn’t even know. We saw Law Enforcement, County and City personnel working hand in hand to make a bad situation better. That’s what you saw in Lee County. So we have seen tragic situations happen here, but what you see is a different reaction from the community. That is the message I attempted to convey in the article; to say THANK YOU to the great people in this county for being the people you are. I am honored to serve the people of Lee County.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 02:38:17 +0000
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